Parachute



May 5, 1942. CIA. MINICH 2,282,234

PARACHUTE Filed Apri-l ll, 1940 Patented May 5, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE- azsazsi PARAGHUTE Charles A. Minich, Philadelphia, Pa. Application April 11, 1940, Serial No. 329,013i

3 claims. (ci. 244-149) I My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a parachute and has for one of its objects to provide a simple and effective device of this character whereby the sailwill be` automatically and positivelyinated as soon as the structure is unfolded.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air tube located in the longitudinal center of the parachute as a Whole and in which the inlet end is open as soon as the parachute begins to unfurl causing air to be forced upward through the tube to immediately initially inflate the sail or bag.

Another, and very important object of the present invention is to connect the inlet end of the air tube to an integral ring which in turn is xedly secured to the shroud lines of the parachute to positively insure that said inlet end of the air tube will be open.

Another object of the invention is to provide a parachute with an air inlet tube which is always set and ready for operation and in which there are no mechanically operating parts or ropes to pull and therefore nothing to get out of order. v

Another object of the invention is to slightly taper the tube from the inlet end to the outlet end, which has a tendency to stabilize the parachute during its descent.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air inlet tube which directs the initial opening air to the top center of the sail or bag so that as the latter begins to inflate and its diameter increases, the air resistance will be increased, thus reducing the descending speed gradually and thereby cause a smoother take-up as it approaches the full open position.

A further object of the invention is to form the outlet or upper end of the air tube at an obtuse angle to prevent said outlet from being blocked as the air flows into the tube.

A still further object of the invention is to provide several lateral openings adjacent the outlet end to assist in expediting the entrance of the air into the sail or bag and thus producing a quick opening effect.

With the above and other objects in View, this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the y accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation `of a parachute embodying my invention shown in completelyv open condition.

Fig. 2 is a similar Viewv of a parachute'shortly after being uniurled. 4

Fig. 3 is a View of a testing apparatusshowing that the pressure of air entering the sail directly does not affect the air entering the air intake tube.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation to illustrate a detail of construction.

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied 5 represents the usual parachute sail or bag provided with ordinary shroud lines 6 to which is attached any suitable connector 1 to receive the usual aviators harness, trapeze, basket or the like.

To the shroud lines adjacent their lower ends is xedly secured a ring 8 of metal or other suitable material and the method of securement may be by looping the shroud lines about the ring and tying knots 9 in said lines.

The inlet end of theintake tube ID is secured to said ring and extends upwardly into the sail or bag 5 where it is held by suspension cords Il so that the outlet end is Within said sail or bag whether the latter is closed or open. The air intake tube preferably is formed from rubberized silk or similar light weight textile fabric. This tube is slightly tapered from its inletend to its outlet end and the latter is preferably formed at an obtuse angle to the axis of the tube to eliminate the possibility of said end being fouled as the parachute is unfurled.

Adjacent said outlet end are formed several lateral openings l2 permitting the air being conducted through the tube to issue sidewise therefrom and more readily cause the sail or bag to open radially.

From the above description it will be obvious that as soon as the parachute is unfurled and the shroud lines are stretched out, the air inlet tube will be immediately ready for action and since the inlet end is always open, air will flow through the intake tube into the sail and force the same open. The ring 8 fastened to the shroud lines is prevented from sliding upwardly on the same, which might result in the formation of a fold in the intake tube.

As shown in Fig. 3 I used an apparatus for testing the possibilities of such a parachute structure, wherein an axle I4 was projected through the air intake tube and mounted on suitable supports I5 to permit free rotation of said shaft. On the shaft withinr the air intake tube I placed a semi-circular vane I6 and counterbalanced the same by a weight l1, and in order to ascertain the position of the vane within the air tube at all times I mounted a pointer I8 on the shaft. Beneath the parachute I placed a suitable blower \of sufficient size and capacity to direct air into the sail or bag as Well as the air intake tube. During the time the blower was in operation and a suicient amount of air was flowing into the sail to maintain it in an open position, the vane I6 was moved into an upright vertical position, thus indicating that there was an updraft of air through the tube and at no time was there any back pressure in the tube.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, as these may be Varied within'the from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is:

1.,.A parachute comprising a sail, shroud lines connected with the sail, a ring xeclly secured to said lines adjacent their lower ends, an air intake tube having its lower end attached to said ring, and means to suspend the upper end -scope of the appended claims without departing f A of the tube within the sail, said upper end being formed atan angle other than 90 to the axis of said intake tube.

2. The combination with a parachute including a sail and shroud lines, of a fabric air intake tube tapering slightly from its inlet end to its outlet end and said outlet end being formed at an angle other than 90 to the axis of the tube, suspension cords attached to the inside central area of the sail and the outlet end of said tube, and a constantly open rig xedly secured to the shroud lines and to which the inlet end of the tube is fastened.

3. In a parachute consisting of a sail and shroud lines, a rubberized silk air intake tube tapered from its inlet end to its outlet end and said outlet end being formed at an angle to the axis of the tube and said tube having lateral openings adjacent the outlet end, suspension cords fastened to the sail and the outlet end of the tube Yfor holding the latter in place, and a ring xedly secured to the shroud lines adjacent their lower ends and the inlet end of the tube fixed to said ring.

CHARLES A. MIN'ICH. 

